Virginia Historical Society facts for kids
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| Established | 1831 |
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| Location | 428 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia |
| Type | History museum |
The Virginia Museum of History and Culture is a big museum and research center in Richmond, Virginia. It teaches all about the history of Virginia. It started in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society.
This museum is a private, non-profit group. It gets most of its money from donations. In 2004, it became the official historical society for Virginia. In 2018, its main building was renamed the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
The museum has many exhibits and activities for everyone. It has over 25,000 square feet of gallery space. You can see the largest collection of Virginia artifacts here. It is the only museum that covers all of Virginia's history. This includes all time periods, regions, and topics.
What the Museum Does
The main goal of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture is to connect people to America's past. It does this by sharing Virginia's unique story. The museum collects, saves, and explains the history of Virginia. By doing this, it links the past with today. It also helps inspire future generations.
Museum History
On December 29, 1831, 28 important Virginians met. They were leaders in politics, business, and society. They met in the House of Delegates chamber at the Virginia State Capitol. Their goal was to create a state historical society.
They named it the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society. Its job was to remember Virginia's important colonial and Revolutionary past. At that time, many Virginians were moving out of the state. This made people feel like they were losing touch with Virginia's "golden age." To help the new society, they chose Chief Justice John Marshall as its first president. Former president James Madison became its first honorary member.
In its early years, the society collected many different things. These included natural history items, historical objects, and old papers. Sometimes, it published old documents and speeches. But it was hard because they had little money and no permanent home.
In 1848, they shortened the name to the Virginia Historical Society. This showed they were focusing more on history. They also became more active in publishing historical materials. In 1893, the society got its first permanent building in Richmond. Their journal, the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, has been published every three months since 1893.
In the 1950s, the society got more money. This allowed them to hire professional staff. Over the next few decades, their collections grew a lot. They also published more, becoming important in the world of history studies.
In 1959, the historical society moved to Battle Abbey. This building was built in 1912 on the Boulevard. To fit the society, a new four-story section was added. Since 1959, the building has been updated and expanded many times.
In 1992, a new west wing was added for the research library. In 1998, a north wing expanded gallery space and offices. A new south wing in 2006 added more galleries, storage, offices, and a large auditorium. In 2015, new public spaces were added on the north and south sides.
In 1992, the society opened the Center for Virginia History. This gave them more space for exhibits and old records. Soon after, they teamed up with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. This state agency also had many historical items and records. This created a special partnership between a private group and the state government.
In 2018, the Virginia Historical Society announced a new name. After much research, their main building became The Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
In 2019, the street where the museum is located was renamed Arthur Ashe Boulevard. This honored Arthur Ashe, a famous tennis player. Ashe grew up in Richmond but could not play tennis at the white-only courts. He later became the first black man to win major championships like Wimbledon.
Museum Programs
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture offers many educational programs. These are especially for students and teachers. They include programs that visit schools. There are also guided tours of the exhibits. Teachers can attend workshops and summer training.
The museum also has lectures. Some are just for members. About 20 noon-time lectures are open to everyone each year. You can find audio and video of past lectures on their website.
One main exhibit is The Story of Virginia. This long-term exhibit covers 16,000 years of Virginia history. It shows everything from the first Native American tools to Virginia in the 21st century.
Virginia House
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| Established | 1928 |
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| Location | 4301 Sulgrave Road Richmond, Virginia |
Virginia House is located on a hill overlooking the James River in Richmond. It was built in 1928 by Alexander W. Weddell and his wife, Virginia Weddell. Alexander Weddell was a U.S. ambassador.
They built the house using parts from a 16th-century English manor house. That old house used to stand in Warwick, England. Virginia House blended three old English Tudor styles. For its time, it was a very modern home. It had seven bathrooms, central heating, a modern kitchen, and large closets.
Today, the Virginia Historical Society owns and runs Virginia House as a museum. The house looks much like it did when the Weddells lived there. The gardens and grounds of Virginia House are beautiful all year. They have nearly 1,000 types of plants. These plants grow in both formal and natural-looking gardens.
